Why mediation is not for the ‘to do’ list

MEDITATION...

It feels like such a buzz word at the moment. Before I did a meditation course, to me, it felt like yet another thing to add to the to do list.

Meditation (according to Buddhism ideology) is basically focusing on one thing. When practiced regularly, it enables the mind to focus on the task at hand in every aspect of our lives and in a world were we are obsessed with multi-tasking, this can be very difficult.

We could be on our phone working on a new project for work, thinking about dinner and worrying about something that was said to us by a colleague… all the while running on a treadmill at the gym.

You have to wonder, is that project going to be your best work? And more importantly is this healthy?

So meditation is something I ‘should’ be doing but in reality it something I still find hard to put into my daily life.

Until my teacher told me…

Meditation doesn’t have to mean sitting crossed legged on a mountain in the Himalayas with your hands in a mudra (those hands positions yogies make)

This was a turning point for me. Why can’t meditation be fun? Something I really look forward to. Not something I should do but something I want to do.

Ultimately, mediation is time for you. It is time to completely give yourself to the present, to stop. It only has to be a brief moment (but trust me you’ll want longer) of focusing on one thing. This could be ANYTHING.

But just DO THAT, nothing else. Just the one thing you have chosen to do.

In time, this small exercise can completely change how you view and experience the world. Things will become clearer, creativity will flow easier, work becomes more efficient, your emotions become less extreme (even though I am all for a little bit of dramatic emotions) and honestly the world’s beauty radiates a little brighter than ever before.